H is for Holiday
by omfg it's sophie
Summary: Marauders go skiing. Sirius doesn't like it. Background SR & LJ. Peter included. [R&R]


**Author's Note: **Guess where I thought this up? Skiing. Lykwowhow'dyouguess? 'S just a small thing I thought of. It should be about four or five chapters, one in each day. So read and enjoy everyone. I am really bad about this whole 'don't do one thing until you finished another.' Meh. xD

**Summery: **The Marauders and Lily go on a skiing trip to celebrate getting out of school.

**Warnings: **Sirius/Remus. May be slight HBP spoilers. Lily/James, though that's expected. 

**Disclaimer: **Marauders and co. belong to Jo Rowling who I bow to. 

It was the winter of 1978 when the Marauders were eighteen. They were just out of Hogwarts and James had already gone into Auror training and Lily was taking a course in healing. Sirius, being Sirius, was just maundering around as if he had all the time in the world, spending time both in the flat he shared with Remus and at Lily and James's house they had bought in preparation for their wedding. Peter dropped in every now and again, though they didn't see as much as their old friend as they had planned, but when he did it was just like old times. So really, everything was going smoothly. When the foursome and Lily met up it was Remus who came up with the idea of skiing.

"I reckon we should go somewhere," Sirius had said, lounging back on the sofa in the living room of his flat. "In January. Somewhere fun."

Remus had scratched his nose and looked around. James was grinning and looking at Sirius who raised one eyebrow. James tried to mimic him, but, of course, it was easier to raise two eyebrows then one. So that was what he did. It seemed like they had some sort of secret language between them.

"Like what?" Peter had said. "Fun doesn't mean 'life threateningly dangerous, with high risk of broken limbs and aching muscles'?" James had laughed.

"Of course." Peter had sighed.

"I thought so." Remus had then got up and started making a cup of tea.

"Get me one," Sirius had called and Remus did so, walking back and giving them all a cup of steaming tea.

"Two sugars in yours, Peter, four in yours, James, no milk, six for you, Sirius, and milk. No sugar and milk for you, Lily. Like me."

"You're amazing Remus," Lily had sighed, taking the cup gratefully. "You should run a brewery. You'd make a fortune." Remus had gone slightly red.

"Anyway. Where're we going?"

"What?"

"We're going somewhere. In January. I've decided." Remus had lowered his cup thoughtfully.

"What about skiing?"

"Skiing? Isn't that… ah… when Muggles strap some metal or wood or whatever it is to their feet and slide down mountains?"

"That sounds like the definition of 'life threateningly dangerous, with high risk of broken limbs and aching muscles'," Peter had muttered.

"Excellent. Count me in."

"Aye, me too."

Lily had shaken her head and muttered something that sounded like 'boys'. "I'd better come to look after you, shouldn't I? Remus would have a hard job doing it all by himself."

In the next few days, after a few confusions with a telephone and a car they had booked it all in a hotel in France on the Alps, right next to the slopes. It was about a one and a half hour plane ride. Obviously, they had decided to go as Muggles, as they were staying at a Muggle resort surrounded by Muggles. They would bring their wands, but not use them unless absolutely necessary. Which, in James and Sirius's case, was nearly 24/7. So, going with the swing of things, they decided to make the trip completely without magic; going on planes, in cars and doing everything like a Muggle would.

They arrived at the airport. It was cold, and their breath misted in front of them. Peter pulled his old Gryffindor scarf closer around his neck. Sirius sniffed and glanced around. James ran a hand through his hair. Remus glanced at Lily, who, glancing at Remus started walking towards the main entrance. The rest followed, like ducks following their mother. Which was very much the case.

They came to the doors.

"It smells awful," Peter muttered, toeing a discarded cigarette. A few ashes blew away in the wind. Remus eyed the cigarette, then led the way inside.

It was immediately warmer inside. It smelt like stale sick and clean floors. Hundreds of people thronged around desks at which ladies stood, smiling constantly and handing out slips of paper. They put their bags on some sort of belt, and it disappeared. It was the strangest thing James or Sirius had ever seen.

"Why are they giving them their bags?" he muttered to Remus. "Is it like… charity or something?" Remus laughed, shook his head, and walked up to one desk. There was a man here. He was the only man behind a desk. He had light blonde hair, green eyes, an expression that clearly said 'piss off' and a badge with 'Hello! I am Phil. I will be pleased to help you' on it.

"Hello," Remus said. Lily counted the bags.

"Four bags to carry, five to check in," she said brightly. Phil gave her a glare and James returned it, hand in his pocket. Remus gave him a 'They-Are-Muggles-Give-Them-A-Chance' look. Sirius gave him a 'Go-On!' look.

Phil printed off four long strips of paper, handed them to Remus with a glare to match the one Lily got. How dare they smile at him? He'd been working fourteen hours already. Maybe he would quit his job, join his brother, Tim, who was quitting his, and they could breed plants. This time Sirius's hand clenched in his pocket. Remus stuck them all to the handles of the bags they would be checking in, and then put them on the rack. They were weighed, and then sent through. Sirius frowned.

"Why're we sending our bags away again? I don't trust him."

"They go on the plane so we don't need to carry them," Remus said, looking at the ticket. "Where's Gate 31?" They both scanned the large, plastic signs above their heads. Sirius and James stood there, and Peter looked wistfully at the Duty Free café.

"Over there."

Lily pointed to the left and they saw large plastic numbers lit up. '29' '30' '31'were closest to them.

"Excellent," Remus said brightly, hitching his backpack further up his shoulder and they all followed him and Lily, James and Sirius exchanging muttered threats about how they would have hurt Phil if they were allowed to.

They went through the security without very much activity or suspicious questions and had sat for about half an hour in the waiting room before the flight number was called out, and the passengers were told to load the plane.

The plane was just like any other: unusually clean with a faint smell of sick and a sickening smell of stale cleaning products. It even had the little fold-up trays in front of the seats.

The Marauders and Lily walked to their seats, and no sooner had they all sat down that Peter said, "I feel ill. And I need the toilet." Sirius cracked up laughing, and James snorted. Lily looked at the boy sympathetically.

"The toilets aren't open until we take off," she said kindly. Peter shifted.

"When will that be?"

"Probably fifteen minutes, Wormtail," Remus said, smiling slightly. Peter moaned and squirmed again.

"And tell me," Sirius said, grinning, "why you didn't go when you had the chance in the… the place… thing."

"Waiting room," Remus helpfully supplied.

"Yes. That."

"I didn't have to go then!" Peter insisted, crossing his legs and staring fixedly at the seat ahead of him. "But now I do. And I don't like planes."

"Have you ever been on one before?" James asked.

Peter had indeed been on a plane before, with his mother's father. When he thought of the trip, bags of peanuts, bags of sick, and bags of luggage came to mind. He nodded and told them so, which sent James and Sirius laughing again.

When the plane did take off, it wasn't Peter feeling ill, but Remus. It was only twenty minutes before he had stood up to go to the toilet, and then only another ten after that. Both times he had come back smelling vaguely of sick and looking paler then he had before.

"I will not kiss you," Sirius announced when Remus came back the second time, "if you are smelling of sick. Thank you very much." Remus smiled wryly and sat down again. When he looked around James, Peter and Lily were asleep. Remus checked his watch. 10:34, French time. He yawned and rested his head against the headrest.

Prod.

Remus looked up, finding Sirius's face inches from his.

"Don't go to sleep!" he whined. "I don't want to be all alone!"

"You won't be alone," he murmured, running a hand through his hair.

"I will!"

Remus paused, thought about this, and then shook his head. "Wake up James if you have to."

"But he only cares about Lily. He'll have to wake her up, and then I'll have to talk to her. Girls're confusing!" Remus raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Well Peter, then. Wake him up."

"Fine. I take it back. I'll kiss you, so long as you stay awake."

"You won't," Remus countered, but he didn't close his eyes anyway. "Sirius, I need to drive when we get there. Let me sleep."

"I will too," Sirius insisted. "Look!" And he had just lent in to kiss Remus, when Peter sat bolt upright.

"I need the toilet," Peter said firmly, glancing around. He spotted Sirius and Remus, blushed red, then stood up and walked to the toilet.

"You can drive?" Sirius's brow furrowed. "Since when?"

"Since my dad got me to take the test. Said it would be useful. And it's turning out to be, isn't it?"

"Can Peter and Lily?"

"Peter took the test but failed, I think," Remus said, leafing through the safety manual. "I'm not sure about Lily."

"There. Let Lily drive." He grinned. Remus shook his head.

"We agreed on me driving."

"When?"

"Ages ago," Remus said, sighing and putting the manual down. "I think you fell asleep. Or you were playing cards with James."

"Ah, yes. Lovely game, BS. I thank you for teaching it to us, my dear." Remus frowned.

"Since when can you play BS with only two people?" Sirius grinned.

"Since James and I added in a few rules and charmed a few cards."

Remus rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Please stay awake?" Sirius whined. Remus put his head back against the seat.

"No?"

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes, please."

"No," Remus insists.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"No."

Sirius blinked, confused. Remus grinned.

"Okay, then," he said happily. "If you insist." Sirius poked him.

"That wasn't fair," he hissed.

"I don't particularly care right now," Remus said, voice thick. "All I care about right now is sleep. I'm a selfish boring plonker. I need to go to sleep. Now bugger off."

Sirius sighed and flopped back against the seat, watching as Remus closed his eyes.

"Boring," he hissed.

"Mm," Remus said.

There was a pause.

"_Boring_."

The plane landed about an hour later and Sirius woke up to the bumping of the plane on the ground. He looked at Remus and poked him. Remus jerked awake, sitting up straight and yawning, rubbing a hand over his face. Sirius then twists around and pokes Peter next to him and then leans over him and across the isle to hit James on the shoulder. James wakes up suddenly with the faint cry of, 'Khjkdfa!' and then glared at Sirius who was grinning at him from atop of Peter's lap.

"You lot can get the baggage," Lily said to James and Sirius. Her eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and she was leaning on James as she walked, yawning every second step. "I might fall asleep on the carriage. James grinned and nodded like a dog and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered, looking around.

It was only an hour later that they finally got the rental car (with a confusion at the desk that they were asking for a fish as Lily refused to take part, before she got impatient and took over completely).

"We're all going on a winter holiday," James sang cheerfully in the car. Forget that he hadn't had any sleep at all, he was bright eyed and bushy tailed, head hanging out the window and shouting 'Bonjour!' to everyone they passed. "Skiing down the mountains all day! James Potter well, he's he best, of course. Spinning past Remus as the snow falls down. My, what a wonderful town."

Lily giggles and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Sirius flying over a jump. Peter looking out from – er – under the snow," Sirius added.

Lily sang quickly, "Lily overtaking all. No wonder, she's the best." James laughed. He always laughed at Lily.

"Will you lot pack it in, or will I have to pull this car over?" Remus said from the front, glancing back in the rear view mirror. Sirius laughed. Peter, whose eyes were flicking from right to left as they tried to follow everything outside his front window, said slowly, "I don't know _any_ French. I tried to learn some, but I don't understand _anything_."

"You get used to it," James called from the back.

Soon after Lily fell asleep and Sirius and James turned the conversation into a hushed one about wartcap powder and Dungbombs. Peter was staring out the window determinedly, frowning and attempting to read every sign.

An hour later, Remus said softly, "Look at that."

They had just left a town and turned a corner and suddenly the view was outstanding. A mountain range surrounded them, one of the largest in Europe. And right opposite them, so close it seemed on the road, was Mount Blanc, the biggest in France. Large peaks decked in white blankets were on all sides, little villages tucked neatly in each one. Sirius whistled through his teeth. Lily snored.

"Gosh," Peter said quietly. "I understand that."

It wasn't that much longer until they got to the hotel. When they did, James pushed Lily up to the desk.

"Tell him we booked two rooms," he hissed. "And that we're going to get our skis tomorrow, where are they, please. Give him a tip after, too."

Lily looked at him and raised an eyebrow and then started up a conversation with the man at the desk. There was a tad of confusion and Remus picked out odd words like 'un' and 'deux' and 'chambre' but not much else. Lily smiled and put a few francs on the counter and then turned to look at the rest of them.

"What'd he say?" James snapped.

"Room 705 for you three," she said, nodding at Remus, Sirius and Peter. Sirius groaned. "And we've got 707." She threw Remus a key and he nodded, catching it.

"Okay, then." They looked around and Lily led the way towards a sign labelled 'Chambres' with an arrow pointing to the right and unlocked the door closest to her labelled '707'. "Night. 8:00 outside here?" Sirius tried to protest, but Remus nodded.

"8:00 it is."


End file.
